


The Vow

by MackenzieW



Series: In Any Universe (OQ Prompt Party) [7]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Birthday, Eventual Romance, F/M, OQ Prompt Party 2018, marriage vow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 18:04:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14086563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MackenzieW/pseuds/MackenzieW
Summary: It's Regina's 40th birthday and she has a few surprises waiting for her.





	The Vow

**Author's Note:**

> Based on Prompt #230. Robin and Regina make a pact that if both of them aren’t married by 40 they marry each other. They fall out of contact for a few years but Regina gets a phone call on her 40th birthday from a familiar voice…

"Come on, Mom." Henry Mills pulled her hand down the snow-covered street as they headed toward Granny's Diner. At five years old, he finally understood the excitement of someone else's birthday—namely celebrating his mother's—and couldn't wait to get to the diner for her birthday dinner. He had even afford to pay but she had pointed out that any meal at Granny's would far exceed his allowance but she would accept a card handmade from him instead. Regina had woken up to that card propped up on her nightstand, the drawing of a stick figure with dark hair like hers holding the hand of a smaller stick figure with brown hair like Henry's making her birthday amazing right off the bat.

Regina cursed the fact she had decided to wear her heeled boots as she tried to keep up with her son without slipping on the ice starting to form now that the sun had gone down. "Henry, slow down. We want to make it there in one piece. I don't really want to celebrate the rest of my birthday in the emergency room."

He stopped, looking thoughtful before making a sour face. "That wouldn't be fun, would it?"

"No, it wouldn't," she agreed with a laugh. She pulled her son close against her body. "Come on, let's walk together at a safe pace. Okay?"

"Okay, Mom," he said, falling into step with her. While it wasn't as fast as Henry probably would've wanted, it was good enough to get to Granny's without falling down. She climbed the stairs and opened the door, hearing the bell tinkle as they entered the warm establishment.

"SURPRISE!"

Regina stopped short as it seemed Granny's was packed with everyone in Storybrooke. All the tables had been pushed aside to create a large space and a buffet was set up on the counter. One table held several wrapped presents and another was topped by several of Granny's red velvet cupcakes, including a bunch in a tower with a candle sticking out of the very top one. A banner hung from the ceiling, reading: _Happy Birthday Regina!_

"What is going on?" she asked, surprised.

Henry giggled. "We threw you a birthday party, Mom! Aunt Emma and Aunt Mary Margaret said it was a big one and so it only seemed right to celebrate it."

"Aye, it's not every day one turns forty," Killian Jones said, earning a sharp jab to his side from his wife—Henry's Aunt Emma.

Emma turned to Regina with a beleaguered sigh. "I'm sorry. We told everyone that number is forbidden but _some_ people didn't listen to us."

She shot a look at her husband and Regina chuckled. "You know what? I don't mind it. I'm forty. Nothing to be ashamed of, right?"

"That's the spirit!" Killian declared. "Age is just a number, right? You're only as old as you feel and all that. Come, let's have a drink."

Regina shook her head and motioned to Henry. "I'm driving home with precious cargo, Jones. No drinks for me."

"Drinking and driving is wrong," the kindergartener reminded his uncle.

David Nolan, Henry's other uncle, emerged from the crowd. "Mary Margaret and I can always give you a ride home, Regina. It's your birthday. You can have one glass of wine to celebrate."

"Okay," Regina relented, "as long as someone who hasn't had a drink drives us home."

"I was hoping you would say that!" Mary Margaret appeared with a glass of red wine for Regina. "And I'm hoping you'll at least agree to one for me."

She rubbed her rounded stomach and Regina smiled, taking a sip of her wine. "I'll see how the evening goes. But I might be able to grant that request."

"Alright, enough blabbering on. Let the birthday girl come in and enjoy all this food! Eat up!" Granny ordered, motioning to the buffet. Everyone laughed and did as she said, heading toward the counter, including Regina and Henry.

* * *

A couple hours into the party, Regina was slightly buzzed from the two glasses of wine she had done—as well as the tequila shot Emma had talked her into which had been done in the back hallway of Granny's so Henry wouldn't see. Regina now sat in one of the booths, watching her son as he listened intently to one of his Uncle Killian's stories and smiling at him. Adopting him was one of the best decisions of her life and no matter what lay in the presents waiting on the table for her, he would always be the greatest gift in her life.

"Uh oh," Emma said, sliding across from her. "Maybe that tequila shot wasn't so wise after all. You look like your thoughts are getting mushy."

Regina scowled at her friend. "And how does that look?"

"You get this goofy grin and your eyes light up. But don't worry, it's almost always directed at Henry," Emma assured her.

"Well, I was watching him," Regina pointed out. "And he's my son. He's my everything and makes me immeasurably happy."

"Oh, you did do that tequila shot with her," David said, sliding into the booth next to Emma. "She's mushy."

As Mary Margaret took a seat next to Regina, she protested: "I am not mushy! I'm just telling the truth."

"Come on, guys, it's her birthday. You can tease her another day," Mary Margaret told them as David and Emma grinned mischievously.

Regina sighed, figuring the compromise would have to do, before taking Mary Margaret's and Emma's hands. "I guess I should thank you both for this party. I do appreciate it and am touched by it. So thank you."

Mary Margaret placed her other hand on top of their clasped ones. "I know you're not a big fan of your birthday, but we just couldn't let such a big one go by without celebrating it. All of us wanted to celebrate you. They love their mayor."

Emma nodded. "You have a great life, Regina. A wonderful job, us—your amazing friends—and a beautiful son. You should celebrate that."

"I should, shouldn't I?" she replied, smiling at Henry again. "I do have a great life. And really great friends."

They laughed before David tilted his head. "Speaking of friends, have you heard from Robin today?"

Regina shook her head, ignoring the sadness that name brought to her. She kept her smile bright as she said: "He probably sent a card like he always does. And he probably sent it late, so I'll get it in a few days since it has to come from overseas."

"I can't believe he didn't call you," Mary Margaret mused. "You two were always so close."

"Things change. People grow apart. He has a whole new life in England now and my life is still here in Maine. We're still friends, we're just not as close as we were," Regina replied, trying to keep her voice even as the familiar sadness over how far apart she and Robin had become washed over her. She blamed the wine but she knew the truth.

Until Robin Locksley had to return to England to take care of his ailing mother, he and Regina had been thick as thieves since high school. They had gotten each other through their teenage years and even managed to stay close even when they attended two different colleges in different states. Robin had been by her side through every step of the adoption process and had helped her set up Henry's nursery as well as installed the car seat in her car. He had welcomed her and baby Henry home after the adoption was complete and was his godfather. Regina had had every confidence that they would still be friends even when he moved three thousand miles away, but it seemed it was a distance they couldn't overcome.

It had happened gradually. They first had talked or Facetimed nearly every day. But as his mother grew worse, more time grew between their calls before ending all together. Most of their conversations were quick posts on Facebook, which was how she learned his mother died a couple months earlier. She had sent a floral arrangement and received a heartfelt acknowledgement from Robin in return. He also still sent her and Henry birthday cards and they did the same on his birthday. It still hurt her, though, to think of the man who had been her best friend and confidant and how distant they had become.

"Oh no, now we've made her morose. Way to go, David," Mary Margaret said, bringing Regina back to the present. She bit back her laugh as she watched her friend glare at her husband.

David winced. "Sorry, Regina. I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject."

"That's okay," Regina said. "It's just something that happened. Life goes on, right?"

Pity filled their eyes, though, and Regina suddenly felt the urge to get away from them until it would go away. She gently patted Mary Margaret's leg. "I need to use the ladies' room. Do you mind?"

"Oh, I understand," Mary Margaret said, standing as she held her stomach so Regina could pass.

Once her bladder was empty and she had splashed some cold water on her face, Regina emerged from the ladies' room to find everyone now gathered around the table with the cupcakes. The candle was lit and she knew it was time for everyone to sing. She groaned as Henry bounded to her side. "Okay, let's get this over with as quickly as possible for my earbuds' sake."

Everyone laughed before serenading her with the birthday song. It wasn't the best performance but it wasn't as bad as it could've been. They finished and Henry reminded her to make a wish before she blew out her candle. She closed her eyes, did exactly that and then extinguished the flame. As everyone began grabbing cupcakes, her wish echoed around her mind.

_I wish Robin would return to me._

* * *

As promised, David drove her home. He did so in her car so Henry could sit in his booster seat while Mary Margaret followed in their truck. As they turned into Regina's drive, she was surprised to see another car in her driveway. Someone was sitting on her porch and David turned to her, already in sheriff mode. "Were you expecting company?"

"No," she replied, undoing her seatbelt. "I'll go see who it is."

"Not alone," David answered, turning off the car and opening his door.

They climbed out of the car and Regina headed toward her porch, her heart beating in her chest as the person stood from the stairs. He was taller than her with blond hair that had now had gray sprinkled through it and she wondered if the scruff still covering his chin and cheeks had the same. Though it was dark, she knew his eyes were a bright blue and he had dimples that would make anyone weak. He still wore the same green jacket and the same blue scarf around his neck.

"Hello, Regina," his British accent thicker than when he had left. "Happy birthday."

"Robin," she breathed before throwing her arms around him. He held her close and she almost cried at the fact he still smelled like forest—pine and other woodsy scents filling her nose.

Behind her, David chuckled. "Welcome back, Robin."

"David," he said, pulling away from Regina as he held out his hand. The two men shook hands before he motioned to Regina's car. "Any particular reason why you're driving the Mercedes?"

"I was convinced to have some wine and Emma got me to have a tequila shot," Regina told him. "David is our designated driver. Mary Margaret is waiting on the street with the truck."

She pointed to the road and Robin waved to their friend, who happily waved back. He then turned to Regina. "Well, I'll go get Henry. It looks like he's out cold."

They both looked at the sleeping boy and she nodded. "Thank you."

"I'll grab the presents and then I'll be out of your hair," David promised, heading toward her trunk.

Regina let them inside and David deposited her presents in her living room. He then kissed her cheek before heading out to join his wife, leaving her alone with the best friend she hadn't seen in years. There was so much she wanted to ask him but first, they had to get Henry to bed. Robin carried him upstairs and Regina changed him into his pajamas, tucking him in and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Good night, sweetheart. I love you."

She then led Robin back downstairs, watching as he hung up his jacket and scarf in her closet as if he hadn't been away. He tucked his hands in his jean pockets as she faced her. "Well, I'm back."

"You're back?" she asked, not sure what he meant. "For a visit or…?"

He shook his head. "For good. I got everything with Mum's estate settled, sold her house and have moved back. I just got in yesterday morning. I would've come to your office right away but jetlag got to me. Then I considered coming to your birthday party but then I worried the attention would shift away from you to me, but I couldn't let the day go unmarked."

"So you have a place to live?" she asked him. "And a job?"

He nodded. "I wasn't going to leave England until I had both. I'm the new park ranger and it came with a cabin just outside town."

"And you didn't think to call to let me know you were coming back?" she asked, anger overtaking her. "You just showed up after almost two years where our only contact was on social media or birthday cards? Why?"

He looked guilty at that. "I know I wasn't the great at keeping in touch. I was downright shit at it. But you're forty and I'm going to be forty in a couple months. And I couldn't help but remember a certain vow we made when we were sixteen."

She knew was vow he was talking about as it had been on her mind too as she approached this milestone birthday. It had been made after she had broken up with her first boyfriend Daniel. Rather than going home, she had gone to Robin's and thrown rocks at his window until he woke up. He then climbed out the window, shimmied down the trellis and sat on in his backyard with her. Robin had held her as she cried, wondering if she was ever going to find love or if she was going to die alone. They had then vowed that if they weren't married by the time they were forty, they would get married.

Regina gaped at him. "So you're coming back to marry me? Really?"

He chuckled. "I'm not that crazy, Regina, don't worry. And as I said, I know I've been shite at keeping in touch with you but I have missed you and Henry so much. You've been all I've been able to think about since Mum died. That's why I moved back here, so I could be close to you again."

"I've missed you too," she said, her anger dissipating. She could never stay angry at him for too long. "It's been hard without you. I always thought you would be here."

Robin pulled her into his arms, holding her close. "I know. I never thought I would leave you and I hate myself that I let distance affect our relationship. I should've made time to talk to you, no matter how busy I got. But I guess it also hurt less not to see you then to talk to you and not be there to hold you as well."

Tears now soaked her cheeks. "I guess the same was true for me. I could've called you or tried harder as well. But I thought you were never coming back, so I guess I figured this cooling would make the eventual break hurt less."

He pulled back, brushing her hair from her cheeks. "Forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me," she said. They shared a laugh before hugging each other.

After a few minutes in each other's embrace, Regina pulled back. She grinned at him. "So, about that vow we made…"

He chuckled. "I'm not proposing marriage…yet. I am hoping you'll agree to go out on a date with me this Friday. Being away from you all these years have proven I don't want to live without you anymore, Regina, but I want to do this the right way. What do you say?"

She bit her lip before answering: "I say we probably should've done this twenty years ago so yes, I would love to go on a date with you. We have a lot of catching up and rebuilding to do."

"I know," he replied with a smile. "I look forward to it."

Regina motioned to the kitchen. "Why don't I put on the kettle and we can start now?"

"Sounds good to me," Robin said, following her into the kitchen. As she turned on the stove, she glanced back at her best friend and soon-to-be boyfriend as he sat at her kitchen table. It all felt right and Regina couldn't help but think that perhaps magic was real. After all, her birthday wish had brought Robin back to her.

And she was never letting him leave again.


End file.
